How Trump Broke Corporate America’s Most Valuable Consultant

For decades, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has been one of the best deals the federal government has to offer. At a cost of about $1 per American per year, Niosh, a quiet little agency tucked inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducts or funds most of the country’s research into workplace harms. Its scientists operate like a world-class source of free consulting, working across a massive range of fields to provide the kind of research, development and training that businesses rarely love paying for themselves. Niosh scientists are responsible for evaluating the risks of new chemicals, testing and certifying the effectiveness of N95 masks, monitoring mine cave-in hazards and administering the health-care program for Sept. 11 heroes. Essentially the agency amounts to a first line of defense for workers and a secret weapon for businesses. Earlier this year, the Trump administration decided to blow it up.

The layoff emails started landing around 5 a.m. on April Fools’ Day. Some of the messages, sent by the human resources office of the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the recipients’ jobs would soon be eliminated to “make America healthier.” By comparing notes in frantic group texts, Niosh scientists concluded the planned terminations totaled about 90% of the agency’s roughly 1,000 employees, including the director, John Howard, who’d been running the place for 22 of the past 23 years. Some staff and managers recall crying in meetings or feeling like the wind had been knocked out of them. Still, many acted quickly to mitigate what damage they could, like the professional safety nerds they are.